Uprooted is a unique theatre production for children and families, fusing live performance, music and living plants with innovative stage design.

Join Plum, Lily & Basil amongst a curious world of plants for an enchanting tale of kinship and home, told through music, movement and multi-sensory storytelling. A waft of mint, a crunch of peas, a sprinkle of fresh herbs in a cup of tea…rediscover the joy of our natural world, and have a nibble on the home-grown set!

Uprooted features Scotland’s first Living Stage; a recyclable, biodegradable and edible theatre set created from locally found, reclaimed materials. The plants on stage were grown from seed by children from 4 Glasgow primary schools involved in our Out to Play project. Part theatre show, part garden and part art installation, audiences had the opportunity to nibble on plants, smell herbs and sample drinks made from the set.

The production toured throughout August 2015 to various outdoor venues across Glasgow including the Merchant City Festival, Barrhead Water Works, Kilmardinny House and The Children’s Wood,finishing with visits to the 4 Glasgow Primary Schools with pupils excited to see how their plants had grown from tiny seeds into the amazing vegetables, fruits, herbs and flowers on set.

The production connected audiences young & old with plants and nature through a unique multi-sensory theatre experience performed by a musician, dancer, storyteller and a supporting cast of plants! The show explored themes of transformation, abundance, the cycle of life and seeing our wider planet as home.

Laura MacKenzie-Stuart, Portfolio Manager – Theatre and International atCreative Scotland, said: “We are delighted to support Eco Drama Theatre Company’s ‘Uprooted’. The ‘Living Stage’ of this innovative outdoor production has been designed by acclaimed set designer and eco scenographer, Tanja Beer. Through this partnership the theatre hope to encourage children and young people to engage with their natural environment, green issues and sustainability, through the visual of performance.”

To create Uprooted we collaborated with Set Designer & Eco Scenographer Tanja Beerwho has championed the concept of The Living Stage. Since making its debut at the 2013 Castlemaine State Festival (Australia), The Living Stage has successfully travelled to Cardiff (UK) as part of the Trans-Plantable Living Room and continues to generate interest all over the world. Uprooted was the first Living Stage production created in Scotland, the first devised with and for children, as well as the first Living Stage to tour.

Sustainable Set Design – The Living Stage a Zero-Waste Set

At the end of its tour, The Living Stage was returned to the main Glasgow Primary School where it was first grown, with set pieces becoming their planters, its plants their food and its waste their compost, transforming a grey metal fenced playground area into a unique enticing play space for children to use for storytelling, gardening and outdoor learning for many years to come.

“Wonderful. I smiled almost the whole time, apart from the plant who died, but that bit was perfect and made all the smiles make sense. I’m sure there will be a long life beyond the 1 hour we came here. Thank you!” Charlotte, Audience Member, Merchant City Festival

“Not to be missed! Fantastic, essential Creative Learning Experience. You will enjoy every minute and be entranced, amused and deeply moved by the experience. Thank you to all the stars!”Teacher, Balornock Primary

“Staging of the show outside made it a bit more special. Outdoor atmosphere was calming and the set was beautiful – quite magical!”Teacher, St Vincent’s Primary

“The show made me feel calm and happy.”P5 Pupil, Balornock Primary

“Thank you for braving the ever so unpredictable weather yesterday! We loved the show. Full of charm and green goodness! A really important piece of work to help children and families feel close to nature and the food we eat.” Tanja Czajka, audience member – Merchant City Festival

“Watching this show has made me see plants in a whole new light. I’m a landscape gardener and until now I just saw them as plants. I didn’t realise their complexities, or that you could eat some flowers!” Audience member, the Children’s Wood

Further info

Green Tease/Fringe Seminar: Ecology & Theatre-Making: Sharing’s from the Team behind Uprooted & the Living Stage

The company explored ways of embedding sustainability into the heart of the artistic process throughout the creation of Uprooted and Scotland’s first Living Stage.

We shared best practice from the project as part of the Edinburgh Fringe 2015 in collaboration with Creative Carbon Scotland as a Green Tease event, drawing in artists, designers and theatre-makers interested in exploring sustainability in their work.